Q&A with Jeffrey Wright

Calling someone a character actor is like saying a chick has a nice personality. But Jeffrey Wright is young and handsome and still has the ability to lose himself in roles, as he did in HBO's Angels in America (for which he won an Emmy), Broadway's Topdog/Underdog (for which he got a Tony nomination), and the recent Broken Flowers.

ESQ: Your new film, Syriana, is set against the backdrop of the oil business. Does it have a political message?

JW: It deals with contemporary politics, but I don't think it has a political agenda. It's evenhanded. I think it would be a disservice to overtly attack the current administration. Although I will say the details the film reveals about how that gallon of gas ends up in your tank are damning in and of themselves. It's about the behemoth that fuels the American economy. As consumers, we're all complicit in that.

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ESQ: So is it gonna make viewers run out and buy hybrids?

JW: It might. [Laughs]

ESQ: Why does Hollywood have to turn people into assholes?

JW: I don't think it's that people turn into assholes when they reach a certain status; I think they were assholes before, and they just have a forum through which to express it. They were just waiting for their shot to be all that they can be.

ESQ: The difficulties of being a black actor are well chronicled. But are there any advantages?

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JW: No. There are no advantages to being black in America. None. Hollywood is much more resistant to supporting the work of a black actor, particularly now. The types of people that Hollywood has responded to are rappers and others who've made a name doing anything but acting. The public could not name a black actor under 30 who's not a rapper or a comedian. They're out there, but they won't be supported in the way that folks who lean toward minstrelsy will be supported. It's not getting any better. [Actors like Don Cheadle] have laid out really impressive careers, but I guarantee you that Don didn't get one twentieth of the support that Colin Farrell got at the beginning of his career. It's insulting.